“Blue Monk” by Thelonious Monk was the pianist’s favorite composition, according to Laurent de Wilde in Monk, and he recorded it often. In a 1963 interview when asked to name a record that he plays on that he especially likes his answer is “‘Blue Monk’ with the trio.” He first recorded it on September 22, 1954, with Art Blakey on drums and Percy Heath on bass. The film Jazz on a Summer’s Day features him performing “Blue Monk” at the 1958 Newport Jazz Festival.

In Bebop: The Music and Its Players, Thomas Owens says, “‘Blue Monk’ and ‘Well You Needn’t,’ from a 1964 jazz-club performance in Los Angeles, are wonderful illustrations of bebop at its most joyous. ‘Blue Monk’ is Monk’s simplest, old-time blues melody (even New Orleans street bands play it). The main motive--a four-note chromatic rise in eighth notes--is the melodic springboard for several of Monk’s choruses.” Owens further describes “Blue Monk” as lyrical and easily sung.

As Donald L. Maggin says in Dizzy: The Life and Times of John Birks Gillespie, “Monk’s fortunes were at an ebb, because in 1950 his quirky style was too ‘far out’ for all but a handful of jazz fans; it would be another decade before the jazz public would absorb and understand what he was doing and give him the acclaim he deserved.”

Lincoln’s lyrics, which describe Monk’s difficulties, could apply to Abbey herself since she, too, struggled early in her career to reach jazz audiences:

Being complete, Knowing defeat, Keepin’ on from year to year. It takes some doing Monkery’s the blues you hear.

This section suggests definitive or otherwise significant recordings that will help jazz students get acquainted with
“Blue Monk.” These recordings have been selected from the Jazz History and
CD Recommendations sections.

Thelonious Monk’s 1954 trio recording of his “Blue Monk” (Thelonious Monk Trio) is the first of his many recordings of the song and is a definitive example of his piano style. His live recording from 1958 with Johnny Griffin (Thelonious Action) is also fabulous and is arguably the first to present the song’s melody in its definitive form, that is the form that most musicians have subsequently used as their point of reference. Abbey Lincoln’s 1961 recording (Straight Ahead), meanwhile, introduces her lyrical contributions to the song.

According to Thelonious Monk, one of his influences was Ferd “Jelly Roll” Morton. This tune, with its lyrical leaps, chromatic embellishments, and quasi-ragtime syncopations, is certainly suggestive of Morton. The “blues” progression here is an interesting variation in which Monk inserts an extra IV in measure 2 and follows the IV in measure 5 with a diminished seventh chord a half-step higher in measure 6 (being a ct°7 of the tonic, a standard harmonic device). This use of the °7 chord works very nicely with the strongly chromatic nature of the melody.

K. J. McElrath - Musicologist for JazzStandards.com

Check out K. J. McElrath’s book of Jazz Standards Guide Tone Lines at his web site (www.bardicle.com).

Jazz History Notes

There are approximately 30 different versions of Thelonious Monk performing his composition “Blue Monk.” They range from solo to big band, with an incredible array of musical talent. Here is just a sampling:

A recently issued 1957 recording features tenor saxophonist John Coltrane with Monk. The results, as might be expected, are a treat, not only for the playing but for the excellent recording quality.

A 1958 live recording from New York’s Five Spot has Johnny Griffin on tenor, whose masterful approach makes an interesting comparison to Coltrane’s .

A regular with Monk’s quartet for many years, tenor saxophonist Charlie Rouse was on hand for two fine live recordings. The first, from the Newport Jazz Festival in 1963, has clarinetist Pee Wee Russell guesting. Long regarded (to his displeasure) as a “Dixieland” musician, Russell’s playing on this session is remarkably avant-garde. The next year found the quartet at the It Club in Los Angeles with the recording capturing the group in fine fettle.

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Though the song’s melody would still evolve a bit, Monk’s original recording of “Blue Monk” is as brilliant as it is essential. His solo is thematic and exploratory and there are also great contributions and solos from bassist Percy Heath and drummer Art Blakey.

This is a particularly slow version of “Blue Monk,” documenting Monk’s great relationship with drummer Art Blakey in the context of Blakey’s own band. Aside from Monk, soloists include Bill Hardman on trumpet, Spanky DeBrest on bass and Johnny Griffin with a burning tenor saxophone solo.

This highly creative re-interpretation of “Blue Monk” transforms it into a Dixie-style blues. There are excellent solos by Giuffre on clarinet and Bob Brookmeyer on trombone, while guitarist Jim Hall does a remarkable job as the sole member of the rhythm section.

This edgy performance by Lincoln is responsible for introducing her lyrics to “Blue Monk.” Trumpeter Booker Little interacts wonderfully with Lincoln on the melody, and tenor saxophonist Coleman Hawkins offers a brilliant, thematically developed tenor solo, perhaps in tribute to Monk, his former employee.

Hersch and Frisell present a thorough exploration of the song. The pianist and guitarist peer into every nook and cranny, thoughtfully testing each note and phrase while still maintaining a sense of wonderment and whimsy.

Vocalist McRae devotes this remastered CD to Monk’s music with “Blue Monk” being transformed into “Monkery’s the Blues” with lyrics by Abbey Lincoln. The sultry tone is enhanced by pianist Eric Gunnison, bassist George Mraz, drummer Al Foster, and saxophonist Clifford Jordan.